Many of you shopping in Shepperton may well know of local butcher Stephen Aldridge’s favourite pastime. He likes dressing up. To be precise he spends many of his weekends dressing up for battle, doing what an increasing number of adults throughout the country enjoy: He takes part in historical re enactments. Moreover he is one of the founders of the Wessex Medieval Alliance, started at the end of last year by four like minded individuals with 80 years of re-enactment between them.
“I started re-enacting in 1998″ says Stephen “I had a love of history from a very young age and that love and passion for it is as strong as it was back then. I especially liked the Dark Age/ Medieval periods.”
We are bound to the present precisely because of the events that have come before us. The members of Wessex Medieval Alliance spend a great deal of time researching the late medieval period, to help bring history to life in the 21st century.
They portray the periods encompassing The Hundred Years War and The Wars of the Roses, two of the bloodiest and brutal periods of English history. The Wessex Medieval Alliance get back to the action, bringing this period of history to life. Members typically choose to portray specific individuals from history, recreating their colours, researching their lives and using this information to create a representation of their character in the living history camp and on the battlefield.
Says Stephen “We have members from all walks of life. It is a fantastic way of bringing people together with common interests.
“I think by studying and interpreting past events we are able to bring a glimpse of what it might have been like to live in those times.”
The concept the group aims to achieve is to bring to bear all of their experience to make a re-enactment group both realistic and professional to the public at shows and functions. You may in fact have seen them in action at the Shepperton Village Fair in the past.
Stephen adds “One of the other aspects I really enjoy is the interaction with the public at shows.. you get asked lots of interesting questions especially from the youngsters!”
Interest in The Medieval Period is having something of an renaissance at the moment due in part to TV shows like The White Queen and even though it is fantasy… Game of Thrones! Believe it or not there are a lot of parallels with the Wars of the Roses.
What The Wessex Medieval Alliance hope to achieve is to make their shows as informative and entertaining to the public as possible….. and of course it goes without saying, having a good time doing it.
They are a friendly and supportive bunch, ready to help and support members achieve their re-enactment goals, be it becoming a knight or an archer, lady or musician.
So if you are interested in history, why not bring it to life yourself.
Contact Stephen Aldridge 01932 889237 (eve). stevealdridge@wessexmedieval.org.uk
Or have a look at the website for more info: www.wessexmedieval.org.uk